The Ghana Police Service, under the leadership of Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has earned the admiration of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to him, the service is much better equipped at the moment and its visibility has also increased on the streets.
Delivering his penultimate message on the state of the nation to Parliament on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 President Akufo-Addo credited the safe atmosphere Ghanaians are enjoying to the Ghana Police Service.
“Again, Government has performed most creditably. They are much better equipped than they have ever been and their increased visibility on the streets goes a long way to reassure the community,” he noted.
The President continued that not only is the police protecting lives and properties, but it is also changing its image.
He opined that the changing image of the police is best exemplified by the “dramatic facelift” given to the frontage of the Police Headquarters on the Ring Road in Accra.
The President said “It is beautiful and I recommend it to all institutions and indeed, households.”
BAWKU
The President in his address also raised concerns about the ongoing chieftaincy clash in Bawku in the Upper East Region, at a time when the government is spending money to secure the state from external attacks.
The President observed that the tragedy has rendered a thriving and dynamic town a wasteland of destruction and distrust.
He remarked that, “we are spending money and energy that would have been better spent on the development needs of Bawku, providing security to keep brothers and sisters from killing each other.”
The President said the matter should concern the entire nation and not just the people of Bawku, indicating that in its current state, Bawku is an alluring magnet to mischief-makers and extremists operating a few kilometres across from the border.
He informed the House that four radio stations that had been broadcasting incendiary language and propagating hate speech have been shut down by the National Communications Authority, among other efforts, to ensure a lasting solution.
TERRORISM
Touching on external attacks, President Akufo-Addo indicated that West Africa is under threat of terrorism and violent extremism, rapidly spreading southwards from the Sahel to coastal West Africa.
As such, Ghana and other nations on the continent can no longer take the territorial integrity of countries for granted, especially when many of Ghana’s neighbours have already fallen victim and lost large portions of their territories to extremist groups.
Ghana appears to be the only coastal state along the Gulf of Guinea that has so far not recorded a terrorist attack.
President Akufo-Addo told Parliament that peace and security in the country have not happened by chance, but have been achieved through deliberate policy and planning on the part of his government and a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the security services to keep the country safe and secure.
While commending the tremendous work of the security services, he encouraged citizens to take the “see something, say something” campaign by the Ministry of National Security seriously.
OTHER MATTERS
The over-an-hour speech by the President, apart from security, also touched on education, digitalization, the economy, industrialization, food and agriculture, sports and transport among others.
He sang the praises of his administration in all sectors and announced the launch next month of an online portal called Performance Tracker to trace all the projects under his tenure.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo said he acknowledged the frustration and deep disappointment of the citizenry that a convergence of events and fate have conspired to place impediments on the path of the rapid development trajectory Ghana was on, but gave hope for a brighter tomorrow.
